by Rosie Sams
She walked over to the sleeping Bradford, whose still form could be made out through the crisp, thin hospital sheets. Leaning her arms on the cool, metal bed rails she once again found herself deep in thought.
"Oh, Bradford," she whispered, even though the man was in too deep of a sleep to hear her. "Who could have done this to you? And what did the doctor mean by his strange softball reference? One thing is for sure, not only would Kerry never hurt a fly but she is an absolute perfectionist. She would never take a shot unless she was certain she could make it. Everything she does is exact. It definitely wasn't her that attacked you."
A few machines beeped and Bradford gave out a slight groan. Melody reached down and took his hand in a gesture of comfort, even though sleep still prevented him from knowing she was there. He may not have the best reputation in town but he had been through a lot and deserved her sympathy.
"The doctor also said that whoever did this to you used a downward, swinging motion which must mean that they are taller than you, plus the trajectory seemed hesitant, jerky…" Melody stopped dead in her tracks, thinking about a conversation she and Kerry had just before the ball. Wanting to warn Alvin and her friend as quickly as possible she gave Bradford's hand a squeeze and ran out of the hospital as quickly as her legs would carry her.
Chapter Eighty-Six
Rushing up the steps to the police station, Melody swung open the doors, calling out for Alvin as she raced through the hallways to the office where he could normally be found. The halls were quiet and there was no response to her calls. When she got there, his office was empty and dark. Hearing a slight noise behind her, Melody spun around and found Deputy Hudson Lowe approaching her.
“Hi, uh, hello there, Melody,” Hudson greeted her with a stutter. “Is there something that I can help you with?” The man was much taller than Melody and his unexpected presence made her feel uneasy.
“Oh, Deputy,” Melody said, taking a few steps backward, hoping that Alvin would appear so she could share her newfound knowledge with him. “Actually, I was looking for Alvin but he doesn’t seem to be in at the moment. Since I’m here, I’d love to check up on Kerry and see how she’s making out. Would you be able to take me to her?” Melody made her voice sound light and cheery but she was certain that her body language must be showing her true feelings.
Hudson was still approaching her, his dark, shadowed figure blocking any chance of her escaping towards the police station exit.
“I actually just left Kerry and she’s doing fine right now. There’s nothing at all to worry about. She’s finally asleep after the terrible ordeal that she’s been through. I think it’s best if we just leave her alone and let her get some rest, don’t you?”
Melody nodded, but it felt as if her head was going up and down way too quickly. “I’m so glad to hear that she’s doing ok. I’m sure she was glad to have you with her. Your company would have been a godsend in such a stressful time,” Melody had a hard time getting the words out and knew she was babbling. “She actually mentioned something about you asking her to the Winter Ball, is that right?” Melody tried to make eye contact with the man in front of her, but he kept his eyes awkwardly averted.
Hudson crossed his arms in thought, making him appear even larger and more menacing in the poorly lit hall. “I think that Kerry deserves far better than the likes of Bradford Smedley.” The deputy shrugged his shoulders as he spat out the other man’s name.
“Yes, I totally agree,” Melody said in an attempt to keep the deputy placated and talking until she could figure out what her next move would be. “In fact, having Miranda St. George show up and crash the party should have been enough to shine some light on the situation and turn Kerry’s head the other way around.”
“If that were true,” the deputy snorted, “then Kerry never would have invited that man into her home after the ball and told him how hurt she was at his infidelity. She never would have confessed to him how much she loved him.” Hudson looked truly hurt and slightly deflated.
“That’s interesting, Deputy,” Melody had finally caught the man’s eye, “did Kerry tell you she said that, or did you happen to overhear them talking last night at Kerry’s house?”
Hudson’s eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open. Melody could see a red tinge moving up his neck and into his cheeks. He had just realized his mistake and knew now that he had been caught. Melody took a few more steps backward, just in time. The deputy lunged at her, but she was too fast for his tall, clumsy body and he stumbled, managing to grasp only air. He regained his balance and charged again but this time froze in his tracks at a vicious growl that was growing louder behind him.
Turning the corner at a fast gallop was Smudge to the rescue, with Leslie just steps behind, barely holding on to her leash. The little dog let out a noise far fiercer than any of them would have expected, based on her petite size, and leaped into the air, heading straight for Hudson’s groin. Her razor-sharp teeth latched on tightly.
Hudson let out a high-pitched cry of pain and dropped, helpless, to his knees.
Melody, breathless, leaned back against the wall and took a breath to steady herself. Smudge now stood in front of Hudson, growling at the man who was writhing on his knees.
“Oh, my god! Mel, are you ok?” Leslie ran over and threw her arms around her friend. “What on earth is going on here?”
Taking another breath, Melody explained the situation. “It appears Smudge here has just rescued me from the culprit of the vicious attack on Bradford Smedley. I had my suspicions after hearing some interesting information from Dr. Mitchum. It was while I was doing a bit of investigating down at the Port Warren Hospital. I ran down here, straight away to share my news with Alvin, but unfortunately ran into Deputy Lowe here first.” She gestured down at the floor towards the moaning man who was still being held captive by the brave and valiant Smudge.
Alerted by the ruckus, two other deputies came running around the corner. They quickly assessed the situation and were promptly filled in by Melody. She suggested that they restrain Hudson, before he could do any more damage. Being well aware of Melody’s track record at successfully solving cases, they were swift in gathering up Lowe to his feet and taking him into custody for questioning for his actions.
Satisfied with her work and grinning from ear to ear, Smudge sat down at Melody’s feet, wagging her tail and looking for some affection. Laughing at the comical pup, Melody bent over and gave her a good, appreciative scratch. “How in the world did you know where to find us, Les?” She looked over at her friend questioningly.
“Well, to be honest, Mel, I’m not really sure! It was all Smudge’s doing. She was adamant that I was taking her for a walk. She was going a little mad in the bakery and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I was busy, baking away, but she kept interrupting. I assumed that she had to go to the bathroom but once I took her outside, she took off immediately and was insistent on coming straight here. She really didn’t give me any choice; in fact, I could barely keep up with her! For a dog with such tiny legs, she sure can move quickly!” Leslie laughed.
“Speaking of moving quickly, we had better get to Kerry and make sure that she’s ok. The last person that was with her was Lowe. Come on, let's hurry!”
Smudge barked her approval and led the pair down the back hallway to the holding cell where Kerry had been taken earlier.
Turning the corner, Melody was appalled by the sight in front of her eyes. Both Kerry and Alvin lay on the floor of the cell. Their hands and feet were tied and their mouths were gagged. They grunted for help at the sight of Melody and Leslie. Smudge barked, letting them know that help had finally arrived, before running over and licking Alvin’s ear through the bars.
“Alvin! Kerry!” The girls cried out in unison, rushing into the cell to free their friends.
Carefully removing the handkerchief that was wrapped around Kerry’s mouth, Leslie asked if she was ok.
“Oh, Leslie, it was just terrible. Hudson wanted to t
ake me away. He was going to kidnap me and take me someplace so he could keep me all to himself. When I said no and put up a struggle, he tied me up.” It was evident that she was distraught and was barely holding back her tears.
“We’re here now, Ker. Hudson has been taken into custody and you’re safe,” Leslie said.
Kerry was still shaking.
“There’s nothing to worry about.” Leslie held her and comforted her, trying to ease some of her fear.
Beside them, Melody was working quickly to free Alvin from his binds. Throwing the ropes to the side she wrapped her arms around him, relieved that besides some rope burn and a few scratches, he was ok.
“You guys got here just in time.” His voice was shaky. “I have a strong suspicion that whatever the deputy had in store for me, it wouldn’t have been good.” Bounding over, Smudge jumped up into his lap. “And look, Mel, I’m really sorry that I doubted you. I should have listened to you and trusted you and…” But his apology was cut short when Smudge attacked his face with a barrage of wet kisses.
Laughing, Melody was relieved that everyone was safe and that the true criminal was now behind bars. Now, there was more than enough evidence to keep him there for a very long time. All that was left was to wait for the dust to settle. Then she would see where she and Alvin stood. Hopefully, they would be all right after all that had gone on between them in such a short amount of time.
Chapter Eighty-Seven
Catchy, upbeat elevator music played as Melody and Kerry made their way up to the third floor of the Port Warren Hospital. They were on their way to pay Bradford a visit. They were eager to find out how he was feeling and to fill him in on all of the news from the investigation.
Both girls were pleased and surprised to find Bradford sitting up in bed, awake and alert. He looked considerably better than the last time Melody had seen him. On seeing the visitors enter his room, he even shot them a huge smile.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of having two lovely ladies come and visit me here?” His words sounded confident but his voice still sounded weak.
“Bradford,” Kerry took his hand and leaned in to inspect the bandage that was wrapped around his head wound. “I’m so happy to see you sitting up and feeling a bit better. How’s the head?”
“Honestly? It still hurts, but I’m on the mend and that’s the main thing. Now I just have to find out who did this to me.” There was a gleam of anger in his eyes, brought on by the thought of his attacker.
“Well, Bradford, that's actually one of the reasons that we’re here. It seems that you weren’t the only one interested in taking Kerry to the Winter Ball.” Melody was eager to fill Bradford in on the news. “Deputy Hudson Lowe was also interested in your date and couldn’t come to terms with the fact that she accepted your proposal, instead of his. After the ball, in a rage of jealousy, he followed both of you back to Kerry’s house where he overheard your conversation. When Kerry confessed her love for you, it was too much for Lowe to handle. He couldn’t hold back his emotions any longer. He saw red and attacked you with Kerry’s bedroom lamp at the first chance he got. Fortunately for you, Hudson was a poor shot and his lack of confidence and awkwardness didn’t permit him to do as much damage as someone else of his size could have done. You’re a lucky man, Smedley, it could have been a lot worse.”
“Well, at least your name has been cleared, Kerry, and my wounds are healing up fast. It won’t be long and we can put this whole ordeal behind us and move forward.”
“What about Miranda St. George?” Kerry dropped her gaze, fearful of what Bradford may say next.
“What do you mean, Kerry? I told you before, and I will tell you again, there is nothing at all left between Miranda and me. It’s over and it was over weeks ago. I know that I may have a bit of a checkered past, but I swear to you, I asked you to the Winter Ball because I really like you, Kerry. I was there with eyes for you, and you alone. I know we haven’t been dating long but I really like you and I think that we could have something very special together. You’re not like all of the other girls I’ve known and I really want to see where this relationship goes. I really want to give it another chance. What do you say?”
“I want to believe you, Bradford. We have had a lot of fun together before the ordeal at the Winter Ball.” She hesitated for a moment and Bradford looked like he was holding his breath.
“I’d really like to give us a shot.” Reaching down for his hand, Kerry smiled and gave it a squeeze.
Sneaking out of the room to give the two love birds some privacy, Melody checked her phone and saw a missed text message from Alvin. It asked her to meet him at home as soon as possible. It sounded urgent. Wondering what could possibly be going on now, she made haste all the way to her house.
Chapter Eighty-Eight
Running up the front steps, taking two at a time, filled with worry at what new information Alvin may have on the case, Melody burst through the front door. She called out Alvin’s name, panicked at what new developments may have occurred. Before she could finish getting his name out, however, her senses were overwhelmed by the unmistakable scent of fresh roses.
Stopping in her tracks she looked around, only to find that her entire living room was strewn with flowers. The lights were dim, there was soft, romantic music playing and there must have been a hundred candles flickering, casting soft, romantic shadows on the walls.
Stepping out from the kitchen, Alvin slowly approached her and handed her one single, long-stemmed rose.
“Oh, Al,” Melody breathed. “What is all of this? It’s so beautiful.”
He blinked and she could swear that his eyes glistened.
“Listen, Mel, I owe you an apology. I doubted you and I didn’t trust your decisions and your intuition and I was completely wrong. Please forgive me.”
Melody shook her head in remorse. “Alvin, I’m sorry too. I should have kept you up-to-date on what was happening and I shouldn’t have kept any secrets from you. It was wrong of me. I’m just not sure how we can move on from here. Trust is something that two people have to work at and build up together. Once it's broken, it's hard to repair.”
“That's true, but we have been through a lot together. It might take some time, but I know we can make this work.” As they stared into each other’s eyes, their intimate moment was broken by Smudge, who was excitedly jumping and barking at their feet. She wiggled to and fro yelping and howling.
“I think she’s trying to tell us that we need to make up,” Alvin said. “After all, if we don’t, I believe Smudge here will keep the neighbors up all night!”
Laughing, Melody agreed and they both determined that waking the neighborhood just wasn’t a good idea.
“I guess we don’t have a choice then, Sherriff,” Melody said sweetly, taking Alvin into her arms. “We will just have to find a way to make this work. As long as you promise me that you’re not going to catch a cold again.” Melody giggled at the thought of poor, sick Alvin.
“It wasn’t so bad,” he pondered, “After all, if I wasn’t sick, I wouldn’t have had the pleasure of you taking the lead on the dance floor. I must admit, I like it when you take the lead.”
“Hmm… you do, do you?” Melody put her arms around his neck as they gently sunk to the sofa.
Satisfied at the outcome, Smudge contentedly snuggled up at their feet and the happy couple made up all through the evening and long into the night.
The Murder in the Dressing Room
Bakers and Bulldog Mysteries
by
Rosie Sams
Chapter Eighty-Nine
The morning was bright and cheery, and the last remnants of winter had finally left the cozy little seaside town of Port Warren. Melody had gotten up nice and early and was ready for the day ahead.
In the kitchen, a little bundle of joy bounced up and down on all four paws. Called a blue and white, because her dark grey coat looked blue, Smudge was happy to be moving. Melody snapped the leash onto the faithfu
l puppy’s collar, and the pair set off to work.
Taking the scenic route, she and Smudge had sauntered along, basking in all of the sights and sounds that the first days of spring had to offer. The snow had finally melted, tiny green shoots could be found pushing their way up through the fresh earth, and a few birds had made their return from down south and were gleefully singing their morning songs. Smudge pranced along ahead, tail wagging, leading the way to Decadently Delicious. This was the award-winning bakery that Melody had opened a few years earlier. Being the skilled pastry chef that she was, it was no surprise that the bakery was thriving. New orders came in daily, and there was always a steady stream of people coming and going, picking up their favorite desserts to bring home for a tasty after-dinner treat.
Fumbling with her keys, Melody unlocked the front door to the shop, stepped inside and switched on the lights, ready to get to work. She went back to the kitchen, turned on all of the ovens, and did a quick inventory check to ensure that all of the necessary supplies and ingredients were on hand to fulfill the day's orders. Everything was set and ready to go. The only things missing were her two assistants. As she pulled up her sleeve to check her watch, she heard the front door chimes ring. Seconds later, Kerry Porter, her first assistant came bouncing into the back.
